Mark 2:1-12Mark 2:1-12 1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

Mark 2:1-12Mark 2:1-123Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.

4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

3Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.

4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

Mark 2:1-12Mark 2:1-125When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Mark 2:1-12Mark 2:1-12 8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

Mark 2:1-12Mark 2:1-1210But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

10But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

Mark 2:1-12Mark 2:1-1212He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Proof Through The Roof

Mark 2:1-12

Larry Cline – Hardin Valley Church of Christ – 8/3/2014

Only two remedies for guilt:1. Seared Conscience2. Forgiveness

God Knew Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information

God would have sent us an educator

If our greatest need had been technology

God would have sent us a scientist

If our greatest need had been money

God would have sent us an economist

If our greatest need had been pleasure

God would have sent us an entertainer

But our greatest need was forgiveness

So God sent us a Savior

Five Successive Conflict Stories Mark 2:1-3:6

The irony is that the first conflict is over what they needed most

forgiveness

Three Main Groups

1. The Friends (vs. 1-5)

They prove their faith was real... “When Jesus saw their faith.”

Their faith motivated them to do: ...the difficult ...the unorthodox ...the costly

They make no request of Jesus, they know He will do what is right.

“Your sins are forgiven.”

Not what they came to hear & it raises eyebrows.

2. The Scribes One day He was teaching; and there

were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. (Luke 5:17)

They haven’t come with open hearts but critical minds. “He is blaspheming.”

The Rabbis taught that you could not be cured of an incurable disease until God had forgiven you. If Jesus could heal incurable diseases...

what does that say about His relationship to God?

What did the Scribes prove? They proved their minds were closed.

In this story, who was really paralyzed?

Jesus’ question for them... “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,

‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’?

(vs. 9)

The question is not which is easier to do. The question is which is easierto say.

Jesus proves what they cannot see by what they can see. He performs a physical miracle to

verify a moral miracle.

10“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11“I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

(vs. 10-12)

3. Jesus

What did Jesus prove?

He has the authority to forgive sins.

Three important, very related topics

1. “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2)

Does our faith express the conviction that there is no hope without Jesus?

These 4 were so convicted that Jesus was the only hope for their friend they went to extraordinary lengths.

2. “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6)

Jesus was making a point...

Every time He healed, He was driving back death and what causes it.

3. “We can know that we have passed from death to life.” (I John 3)

Will you be like the scribes and question Jesus’ authority to forgive sins?

Which do you take more joy in... a healed body or a restored soul?